Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 8432 GoodLifeFamilyMag.com MARCH | APRIL 2017 Spring Into New Beginnings by Dr. Melanie Ross Mills | Contributor It’s 2017! This year I’m going to lose 5 pounds. I’ll eat more veggies. I won’t overspend at Costco. I’ll make my children write thank you notes for their Christmas gifts. I’ll exercise an hour every day, spend less time watching tv, and finish that novel I wanted to read. Studies have shown that after a year only about 15% of people have been successful at keeping their resolutions. This leaves us with a large percentage of people that return to overspending at Costco and never complete that novel. New Year’s resolutions are a great way to give your life direction toward your goals, but New Year’s isn’t the only time to make a life change. Springtime is an excellent time for a new start if, perhaps, our New Year’s resolutions didn’t go quite as well as we hoped (and even if they did). As nature is blooming, so can we. A fresh new season is here for us to reset, renew, reengineer, reestablish, and rebuild. A time to embrace new routines, new ways of thinking, and new beginnings. Not as a resolution this time, but as a life change. Where to start? No need for a long list. Choose one or two key words that will guide you daily as you make decisions and new lifestyle choices over the next 9 months. Choose one of these or brainstorm your own. SIMPLIFY: I will work on simplifying. Make life less complicated. Make a conscious effort not to take on what you can’t control. Streamline your priorities and don’t let outside distractors get in the way. Limit your toxic influences. JOURNAL: I will journal my thoughts. Take time to look at the deeper parts of your heart, mind, and emotions. Each night write down your overall thoughts for the day. Which ones are serving you well and which ones are holding you back? Are you living or holding onto the past? Are you emotionally open and available to build quality relationships? goodADVICE